[UPDATE: Added Tyson Campbell of the Jags]
The NFL Trade Deadline is November 4th at 4pm, about 6 weeks away. It’s not nearly as active as in other sports, but the Eagles especially are always looking to make moves. Each week we are going to look at the worst teams in the league to see if there is anyone worth pilfering.
This week I want to look at some of the higher end veteran talents on bad teams that, even though they probably won’t be traded, Howie will be calling about. Let’s aim big like the Phillies did with Jhoan Duran. The theory behind these types is that they have all received their signing bonuses so they will be cheaper for the Eagles than their current teams. Their current teams will have dead cap problems to endure but will also clean up their balance sheets for a seemingly brighter future. I will get to pre-extension trades and post-hype prospects in the coming weeks.
Danielle Hunter – Texans
The Texans dropped to 0-3 and could be looking at a disaster season. With Baltimore, Seattle, SF, and Denver coming in the next 5 weeks, they are looking down the barrel of 1-7. Hunter is the veteran pass rusher on the other side of superstud Will Anderson. He will be 31 at the deadline but is getting after the QB at an elite rate. Look at the picture above, he’s still a beast. By trading him now, Houston would open up space this year to roll over into next year’s much bigger cap hit, but they would likely get a 2nd round pick for their troubles. As for the Eagles, we would be getting an elite pass rusher for around $5m this season and around $23m next season. That number can be restructured rather easily due to the void years on his contract. For all the talk of pairing Myles Garrett or TJ Watt with Jalen Carter and our D-line this past summer, Hunter would provide close to that kind of havoc with nowhere near the commitment.
Brian Burns – Giants
Just because Dallas will never trade with us doesn’t mean that the Giants and their overmatched GM won’t. Burns was a splashy trade 2 years ago for NY but does not fit their timeline at all. Throw in that they just drafted Abdul Carter and have Kayvon Thibodeaux, and Burns should be expendable. Burns is still in his prime at 27 and only in year 2 of his 5/$141m contract. That number is waaaayyyy too big. However, the Giants have already restructured $16m of his salary this year and paid his $35m signing bonus, so for the Eagles it is more like a 4/$90m deal. That is very doable. The Giants got him for a 2nd round pick mostly because they were inheriting a giant extension-to-be. They will probably be looking for a 1st this time around because of the dead cap hit they would need to pick up. Who knows though, the Giants front office is a dumpster fire.
Jessie Bates and AJ Terrell – Falcons
The Falcons got massacred by the Panthers on Sunday. It was the kind of loss that gets people fired (WR coach Ike Hilliard for one). After drafting Michael Penix, the Falcons have confirmed that they are rebuilding and should be under no illusion that they are contenders in need of holding on to big vet contracts. They also don’t have a 1st or 5th round pick in the 2026 draft (their GM is awful). Jessie Bates and AJ Terrell could help get them the picks they need.
Jessie Bates signed the biggest safety contract back in 2023, 4/$64m with an $18m signing bonus. That isn’t a crazy amount anymore. He is on the books next year for only $14m. The Eagles could spread that out to about $4m with a restructure. He would probably cost around a 3rd or 4th round pick.
Bates is much more likely to go than Terrell, but we are aiming big, remember? Last year he signed for 4/$81m in a deal that has been blown out of the water by more recent CB contracts like Jaycee Horn, Derek Stingley, Patrick Surtain, and Sauce Gardner. Considering the $25m signing bonus and $12.5m restructure, the Falcons would be on the hook for a ton of money, but the Eagles would not. We are only talking $15m-$18m over each of the next 3 years. They would be looking for a first round pick for the 27-year-old, but might take a 2nd and change.
Montez Sweat – Bears
Sweat has made his money over the last 2 years and is just now entering the much more tradeable portion of his 4/$98m contract. Because the Bears resisted the urge to restructure, Sweat is on the books this year for $20m in salary, so getting a deal done is a little tougher. However, this also means that the Bears would only have to eat around $12m in dead cap. They could probably get a 3rd round pick for him and he would add a completely new dimension to the Eagles pass rush.
Budda Baker – Cardinals
Of everyone on the list, Baker is the least likely to be traded. Why? Because we have been through this enough times to know that he does not want to leave the desert and the Cards never want to part with him. That being said, he will be 30 come playoff time. His 3/$54m extension, which kicked in this season, is heavy on base salary and minimal on bonuses and guarantees. He would be owed $15m next season with basically a team option for $16m in 2027. He would be very good Reed Blankenship insurance for next year. He seems like a 3rd and a 5th type (think the Darius Slay trade)
Josh Hines Allen – Jaguars
Allen signed just after Brian Burns before the 2024 season and has an almost identical deal. The difference is that the Jags are committed to their current QB and the Giants are not. However, both teams also have another pass rusher that they might being paying this offseason. For the Jags, this is Eagles target Travon Walker. Do they want to have 2 big contracts at EDGE with one already 28 years old? Unfortunately, trading Allen is going to have a monster dead cap cost right now, something like $44m split between this season and next. On the bright side, he would cost the Eagles only around $16m next year and has an 18-sack season under his belt. Considering what Walker is going to want on his next deal, this might be the better buy.
Tyson Campbell – Jaguars
Campbell is in his 5th season and already has his 2nd contract. Trading him would cause a big old cap hit next season for the Jags, but they could probably get a solid return. As for the acquiring team, Campbell has basically no salary next season but then manageable $15m salaries after that. That cap hit will be a tough pill to swallow though, so he is probably a better target in the offseason when that can be split over 2 years.
Philly Front Office 
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